Thursday, January 31, 2008

Actor Lee Jung-jae will return to the big screen by starring in '1724 Kibang Nandongsageon.' The actor recently said he feels alive as an actor whenever he takes on more "energetic" roles.

At a recent press conference, the actor said he felt significant pressure because of his sophisticated urban image. He said he overcame his stress by practicing hard.

On the Andre Kim labeled clothes he wore in the movie, Lee said he had asked the famous designer to design something for him and that he was more than happy with the results. Talking about the film, he said the audience will have the chance to experience a faster-paced, unique-style movie as the film was alternatingly shot with 10mm and 6mm cameras.

The story revolves around the most sought-after gisaeng during the early 18th-century Joseon Dynasty. Lee co-stars with other top actors, including Kim Suk-hoon and Lee Won-jong. The film will open nationwide in May.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Wire-to-Wire Films, together with director Kim Jeong-Gwon and cast, held a press conference at Gangnam’s Imperial Palace Hotel to promote their latest release on January 28.

At one point during the press conference, actressHa Ji-Won revealed, “I am actually a beginner when it comes to playing the piano. I had to take intensive training from composer/pianist Noh Yeong-Shim for the film.”

The movie ‘Babo’ is Director Kim Jeong-Gwon’s 2nd film after ‘Ditto’. The movie is a melodrama portraying a heartwarming love story of a man who has a less-than-average intelligence (played by Cha Tae-hyun). ‘Babo’ is to open in theaters nationwide on February 28.

Many Korean star actresses of the small screen have dismally flopped in movies although they achieve brilliant success and earn astronomical amounts of money in TV commercials. Now Jeon Ji-hyun is taking the gamble, returning to the silver screen with “A Man Once a Superman” directed by Chung Yun-chul.

She follows in the perilous footsteps of Kim Tae-hee , who recently appeared opposite Seol Kyung-goo in “Fight.” It attracted a mere 300,000 viewers amid controversy over Kim’s poor acting skills, which have been in question since her debut.

Ko So-young, whose beauty defies age, was also unlucky in films. Her movies “A.P.T” and “Go Go Sister” were both failures. And Moon Geun-young, once considered the queen of the small screen and the nation’s little sister, fell flat on her face with “Love Me Not.” After a long rest, she announced her return to TV soap opera.

From left Jeon Ji-hyun, Kim Tae-hee, Ko So-young and Song Hye-kyo.Song Hye-kyo, meanwhile, did not meet the expectations of fans in the movie “Hwangjiny”, although her performance was slightly better than those of some fellow actresses and it drew 1 million moviegoers. But that was not enough for the producer to make profit from the production, which cost W10 billion (US$1=W937).

Jeon Ji-hyun is well aware of what she is up against. In fact, she has been there before, with the failure of “Daisy” two years ago. So the new movie is clearly a critical juncture in her career: that is why she chose to work with director Chung Yun-chul and actor Hwang Jung-min, both renowned for their superb achievements.

But the road ahead is not easy. “A Man Once a Superman” will be released on Jan. 31, coinciding with other potential blockbusters like “Once upon a Time”, “Radio Days” and “The Game.” Will she be able to break the jinx?

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Director Hong Sang-soo's film 'Night and Day' starring actress Hwang Soo-jeong will compete in the 58th Berlin International Film Festival (Feb. 7-17).

The film, Hong's eighth, is the only Korean film invited to the competitive section. It will have its world premiere during the festival.

With 90% of the film shot in Paris, the story is about the delightfully eccentric journey of a state appointed painter who suddenly escapes to Paris from Seoul. Actor Kim Young-ho plays the main lead, actress Park Eun-hye plays an art student in Paris and actor Lee Seon-gyun plays a North Korean student also studying in Paris.

Actress Hwang is the kind wife of the hero who earnestly waits for her husband's return to Korea. Although it is not a large role, her character is very important in the movie. She had no shoots in Paris and all of her scenes in Korea have been finished.

Bom Film Productions says Hwang has yet to decide if she can attend the festival due to her personal schedule. The agency is discussing the matter with Hwang.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

At the press conference held on the 7th for the upcoming film "The man who used to be Superman," Jeon Ji Hyun commented that she selects pieces that her children will be able to watch.

In regards to a question asking whether she would choose a smoking scene or love scene, "Actors also have to make decisions based on their thoughts, but I would choose a movie that my children can later watch."

Hwang Jung Min who plays the main male lead that believes himself to be Superman commented, "We had to film one scene that expressed many complicated emotions 34 times for over a three day period to get an 'OK' sign. Ji Hyun was fine on the first cut, but I felt bad because we had to repeat the scene because of me."

He also added, "Trying to make myself believe that I am Superman was the hardest part of this movie. Acting is supposed to be from the heart and not calculated in the head, and that was only possible because I worked with Ji Hyun."

Director Jung added, "The actors most likely had a hard time because the spectrum of emotions required for the movie was equivalent to that of several movies. Ji Hyun said before that she would like the superpower to act well, and I think she has gained that power to a certain extent."

Director Jung, who also produced "Marathon," in "The man who used to be Superman" draws the story of a rather cynical human documentary producer Song Soo Jung (Jeon Ji Hyun) and the man (Hwang Jung Min) who helps everyone around him believing himself to be Superman.

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Korea’s favorite actressLee Na-young will play opposite Japanese star Joe Odagiri in a new film by acclaimed director Kim Ki-duk called “Bimong” meaning “secret dream.” The filming of “Bimong” began on Friday in Seoul.

“Bimong” is a mysterious film in which dreams and reality merge together. The main character (played by Joe Odagiri) dreams that he caused a car accident, then goes to the place where the dream occurred, only to discover an actual hit and run accident. The police track down the suspected driver (Lee Na-young), who they find in her home sleepwalking. She’s arrested but insists that she was never involved in a car accident. Joe then admits to having caused the accident and their dreams and reality start to become intertwined.

Having worked with Chinese star Chen Chang in his mesmerizing film “Breath,” Director Kim is highly favorable toward working with foreign performers. Film buffs in both Korea and Japan are also excitedly waiting to see the collaboration between Korea’s sweetheart Lee and Japan’s indie film star Odagiri.